Pokemon Divine Legacy Book 9: Sacrifice
by Maximus Prime 802
Summary: As the Trainers continue their search for the Celestial Stones, Team Phantom gets ever closer to their ultimate goal, the resurrection of the Renegade Pokemon and the success of his plan. As the two forces begin to collide, war begins and Red soon realizes that there is only one thing he can sacrifice if he wants Dawn to be restored.
1. Prologue

A week had passed, since Cynthia and Professor Carolina were escorted to Team Genetic's headquarters for questioning. Every day since then they would do the same thing, Team Genetic agents would escort them from their hotel suite to their headquarters where the government group's eleven year old leader, Director Hayden would ask her more questions about what happened during the God War.

Recently, Hayden had been asking them mostly about Giratina. He was curious as to how Giratina could pass between the worlds, his anatomy and his connection to the Griseous Orb. Cynthia began to grow increasingly concerned about why he was asking so much about the real world's greatest nightmare. Her fear was that Team Genetic was going to try to create a weapon based on Giratina's power and abilities, or worse they would try to clone him.

Today Cynthia was talking about Arceus. Hayden wanted to know if the king of the gods had any true weakness'. Cynthia did not want to answer him, but Professor Carolina trusted Team Genetic. They were a division of their peaceful and just government enforcement. Even if they appeared menacing, then they should never judge a book by its cover.

"Arceus has only one weakness" Carolina explained, "It's called silver water. A highly viscous material made from a substance that seems to drain him of all his strength. It was so difficult to create that most alchemists in the ancient world would go mad trying."

"Is that so?" Hayden asked, almost menacingly, "Are you sure that is Arceus' only weakness?"

Before Carolina could give an answer to Team Genetic's small leader, Cynthia stood up from her seat. Frustration was clear on her face, frustration from days of not being told why she is explaining all this to Team Genetic.

"We're done here." Cynthia declared, "Until you tell us what you need all this information for."

There was a moment of silence, not a word said, or sound made. Carolina had never seen her granddaughter act out like this. Hayden' silence was of his contemplation as to whether he should reveal his secrets to her or not. Finally the silence was broken when Team Genetic's leader reached a verdict.

"World conquest" Hayden answered.

Immediately after saying that, before Cynthia or Carolina could react, four Team Genetic agents walked in with Agent Johnson. The regular agents pulled Cynthia and her grandmother out of their seats, put their hands behind their backs and slapped handcuffs on them.

"What's happening?" Cynthia demanded.

"You two are under federal arrest." Team Genetic's leader answered coldly.

"What is the meaning of this? you little brat!" Carolina demanded.

"How dare you call me a kindergarten munchkin!" Hayden shouted back in blind rage.

"I never said that!" Carolina shouted back. Agent Johnson knew that he had to act before this escalated further.

"Take them to the holding cells." Director Hayden's number two ordered the Agents.

The Agents grabbed a form hold on the two women from Celestic Town and began pulling them out of Hayden's office. Their shouts about being outraged and Team Genetic being a disgrace echoed down the halls until they eventually faded away. Once his leader's rage was soothed, Johnson turned to Hayden for another order.

"What do we do next, director?" Johnson asked.

"Begin researching silver water in the historical records, start looking in the Palace of Light." Hayden ordered, "And keep your eyes on Team Phantom."

Neera stood by a large window in her base of operations. She looked out over the mountains and forests that stretched into the horizon. It was a marvellous and beautiful site, that would be destroyed very soon. It was a pity to her, but necessary to end the reign of evil in this world that is being a creation of Arceus.

Her moment of psychotic thinking was stopped abruptly when she heard the voice of one her new commanders, Meowth, calling out to her.

"Hey boss!" Meowth shouted to her as he, Jessie and James walked up to her. James held a silver brief case tight in his right hand.

"We've got it!" Meowth shouted with joy.

"Show me" Neera silently demanded. James held the briefcase up and opened it. Inside the case was its sole item, a brown gauntlet with black patterning and a red jewel in the palm.

"The Red Chain" Neera whispered to herself.

"It will say that it was not easy looking for it" Before James could go into any more detail, Jessie covered his mouth very aggressively. Her hope was that her partner would not anger their leader and render his life forfeit.

"You performed adequately." Neera complimented. Jessie, James and Meowth accepted it. It was honest, more than Giovanni ever gave them.

Their leader simply took the glove out of the case and put it on her hand as she walked past them. Neera walked down the corridor before turning left, into another room and closing the doors behind her.

"Well that was abrupt" James commented.

"What's she doing in that room?" Jessie wondered out loud.

"I say we quit askin' and start doin'!" Meowth declared.

The trio walked over to her door, silently and stealthy like a Glameow. All three put their ears to the door, hoping to gain any kind of evidence of Neera's actions.

"Do you guys hear that?" James asked all three in a whisper.

"You mean the dead silence?" Jessie asked in response.

"Well that's all I hear." Meowth commented. As they continued to listen, they were unaware that they were being watched.

"Not the most stealthy are you three?" A young female voice asked. The trio turned to see Neera's second in command, Mitsumi standing at the turn in the halls.

"Instead of mocking us." Jessie began in an aggravated tone.

"You could be helping us." James ended in the same tone as Jessie.

Mitsumi was not sure they would believe her, but if they insisted on an answer then she would give it to them.

"She is talking to the Griseous Orb." Mitsumi answered.

"Talking to it?" Meowth repeated, quite curious, "Well that's a healthy amount of crazy."

"Not as much as you think it is." Mitsumi commented, "You see she talks to it, and it talks back."

The inside of Neera's room was black as a moonless night. Black drapes covered the windows and blocked out any sunlight from getting in. The only light in the room was that of the lit candles that surrounded an column in the centre of the room. Upon this altar, of ancient Greek architecture, stood the Griseous Orb.

Neera approached it slowly before kneeling to it. She lowered her head and held out her arms, as a show of welcoming its power. The forbidden relic began glowing red and the sound of rushing wind seemed to come from it.

"I await thy bidding, jewel of the outcast king." Neera said to the orb. To the amazement of anyone who did not know already, the Griseous Orb spoke back to her.

_"The Priestess whom slain my master has fled mine gaze"_ The Orb said in a voice that sounded like a seductive whisper.

"Fear not my master, I will assemble an armada under the command of my servant and they will find her." Neera assured.

_"No, I have a vital quest for you that must be completed first."_ The Griseous Orb responded.

"But my lord, is she not the one who killed Giratina?" Neera asked as she looked up at the orb, "Should we not enact revenge?"

A red aurora emerged from the Griseous Orb. Instead of slow mesmerizing dance that most auroras had, this one performed a violent and sickening twisting motion in a show of the Griseous Orb's power.

_"Remember whom thou serves!"_The orb shouted. Neera averted her eyes and bowed forward in a fearful show of obedience. The Griseous Orb then halted the aurora of darkness and called dissipated it.

_"Thou shall take me to the Turnback Cave"_ The Griseous Orb commanded. Before Neera could say anything, the red glow around the orb dissipated, signalling that it was done speaking.

"As you wish my master." Neera whispered to herself.


	2. Two tales

**May's Log entry 7:**

_Red and Ash's dad told us about the eight Celestial Stones which we could use to restore Dawn's mortal aura and help her get her voice back. But a new criminal gang named Team Phantom is beginning to stir and they want the stones as well. Unfortunately, the stones are hidden in the ruins of eight kingdoms in the Ransei Region, guarded by the spirits of their former kings and queens. Which is where I am now, battling the king of Ignis for the Celestial Stone of Mars._

May finished writing and returned her attention to the battle. The samurai warrior king Hideyoshi's single Infernape was a strong match for May's Pokémon. At first she sent Wartortle, as a Water type is Infernape's greatest weakness, but the primate Pokémon was too much for the small Pokémon and with a single Flamethrower, Wartortle was defeated.

The girl from the Hoenn region then decided to rely on speed to defeat Infernape and she sent out Skitty. Skitty was out racing Infernape's attack, but May knew that eventually the kitten Pokémon would have to stop running in order to attack.

"Okay Skitty, use Blizzard." May commanded.

The energetic pink Pokémon stopped running and faced the Infernape, ready to attack. It released a torrent of freezing cold wind and ice from its mouth which began to engulf the primate creature. It was clear that the intense cold was affecting the Infernape, but not as much as May hoped it would.

"Infernape, use Flare Blitz!" Hideyoshi commanded. The Infernape became surrounded by red and orange fire. It lunged into the air and charged at Skitty like a missile. As it flew forward, the fires turned blue right before it slammed into the kitten Pokémon and engulfing both of them in a giant explosion. Once the fire, dust and smoke settled, it revealed that Infernape was standing triumphantly over an unconscious Skitty.

"Your small feline was strong May" Hideyoshi complimented, "But you used an Ice type attack against my Fire Fighting warrior."

May didn't know what to do. She could only use one Pokémon, but she had no idea which. Blaziken was still exhausted from running a gauntlet of Team Phantom Grunts earlier, Beautifly and Glaceon were both types that were weak against a Fire type like Infernape. She had only one Pokémon left, it was her only hope.

"Go Munchlax!" May shouted as she sent out her gluttonous Pokémon.

"I don't understand your planning May" Hideyoshi confessed, "But I look forward to seeing what it is."

"Just you wait Hideyoshi." May warned somewhat joyfully, "It's going to be a big one."

"Then if that is that, then I will let you make the first move" Hideyoshi offered.

It was clear that Hideyoshi was having fun with this battle. He had more to gain from losing the battle and he hoped that May would win. Despite this, he was ready to give it his all.

As far as May could tell, out of all four of Munchlax's moves, there was only one that had any hope of winning her the battle. Solar Beam was a Grass type move which had little effect on a Fire type despite its power. Focus Punch did not have the energy to take down Infernape and Tackle was just too plain weak. May had only one choice.

"Munchlax, use Metronome!" May's greatest hope was for Munchlax to use a Water type, just not a worthless one like Splash. May was in for a surprise.

Munchlax's body began to glow golden. It put its two hands together and a golden orb formed in between them. The chubby Pokémon then threw the orb into the air, where it exploded into thousands of smaller orbs. They all targeted Infernape like missiles that locked onto it and struck it. Infernape was engulfed in a explosion of light and dust. May had seen this move many times during the God War. Arceus' most powerful move and the most powerful of all Pokémon moves.

"Munchlax, did you just use Judgment?" May asked in a very bewildered voice.

The explosion settled and revealed, to May and Hideyoshi's happiness, Infernape was unconscious, leaving Munchlax the winner.

"Good work Munchlax!" May congratulated as she ran forward and hugged her short stout Pokémon.

"I concede to you, May" Hideyoshi concluded, "The Celestial Stone of Mars is yours."

Before May could thank him, Hideyoshi and Infernape began to fade away like a phantom.

"Hideyoshi, what's happening?" May asked worried for her opponent.

"My soul was only bound to this world as long as the Celestial Stone remained in my possession." Hideyoshi explained, "Now that it has been passed to its new bearer, I am finally free to cross over to the Hall of Origins and become one with the universe. Thank you for freeing me of this curse."

"Your welcome" May responded as she bowed her head in respect.

"Your visions are an omen." Hideyoshi warned, "A darkness is coming, beware what your visions have to say, use the stone wisely."

"I will." May promised.

With May's oath of protection, Hideyoshi and his Infernape faded away into nothing. In front of May, a red spherical object, the size of a PokéBall began to form. Instinctively, she held her hands out to it. The object fully materialized into a stone that looked like the planet Mars. The Celestial Stone of Mars, was hers.

The sun was setting in the far east of the Ransei Region. Misty looked out over the hill she sat on and watched as the red sun began to descend into the orange sky. Darkness would soon engulf the region as night would rise. Too Misty, night was when Team Phantom could strike.

She needed a place to spend the night. The hills were too open, they could send hundreds of Grunts armed with Hydreigons after her. There was a town she passed through in her travels, but it was too far away. The night would be almost over by the time she got there.

From the forests below the hill, Misty could see something. She pulled out her binoculars from her bag and peered through them. A Pokémon was staring at them from the underbrush, it had the build of a strong and proud canine, its bore a long hexagonal crest on its forehead from which a main like the aurora borealis, and two streamer like tails. Misty knew what this Pokémon was, one of the three Legendary Beasts.

"A Suicune." Misty said to herself, her voice an astonished whisper.

There was something quite unique about this Suicune, to confirm her suspicions, she took another look through the binoculars. She was right. This Suicune did not have the light blue skin, turquoise crest and purple mane that its kind had. It had a sky blue body and crest, and its mane was as blue as the ocean. To Misty's shock and awe, this was a shiny Suicune.

The shiny Suicune began pulling its head back repeatedly. Misty was unsure as to why it was doing that, but she had a feeling that it wanted her to follow. Suicune then turned and departed into the forests.

"Suicune wait!" Misty called out to it.

Cerulean City's former Gym Leader departed from her perch and continued down into the forests the Legendary Beast fled into, with Togetic behind her. She had no reason not to trust this Pokémon. In the past, Suicune had been a very trustworthy Pokémon, helping herself and Ash multiple times in their travels. There was also evidence that Suicune aided humans during the Platinum Wars, making them a sworn enemy of the Antimon. She had every reason in the world to follow this Pokémon.

As they pushed into the forests, it became darker and denser. Through the branches, leaves and bushes, Misty could still see Suicune. Misty struggled to follow Suicune as she pushed through foliage, the dark and her won weak ankles and wrists. The injuries she sustained as a prisoner of Giratina still had not fully healed, this excursion was not helping. Suicune was walking slowly, constantly looking back to make sure Misty and Togetic did not fall behind.

Misty made one final push through the thick plants to find a small opening in the forests, with Suicune standing in the middle of it. There was a cool refreshing breeze through the air, the grass was soft was cotton and the trees made a protective barrier to keep her safe from Team Phantom. The clearing was small, but large enough that she would not have to enjoy this garden of Eden alone.

"Everyone come out!" Misty shouted as she took all the PokéBalls off her belt and released the Pokémon inside. All her Pokémon from little Corsola, to titanic Gyarados could sit comfortably in the clearing and enjoy the night.

Suicune sat next to the single tree in the clearing. The tree was quite big, ten feet in radius and fifty feet in the air. In this tree's trunk was a large open space. Misty crawled inside the opening and found it to be large enough for her and Togetic to sleep in.

"Thank you for leading us here Suicune." Misty said to the Legendary Pokémon as she stroked its muzzle. Suicune closed its eyes and arched its head forward as a show of trust.

Misty then decided to prepare her beddings for sleep. She opened her bag and began digging into it, looking for her sleeping bag and pajamas. Her rough digging was stopped when she began to feel a stinging pain in her wrists. She pulled back and grabbed her left wrist in pain. In such a quick movement, Misty tipped over her bag and much of its contents spilled out, including Ash's hat.

The Water Trainer took her lover's hat in her hands and held it up to her heart. She began to remember the valiant deeds Ash acted out to show his love for her. Travelling across oceans to profess his feelings to her, jumping into the Distortion World in a daring attempt to save her life. All these were examples of how much Ash loved her, while she did nothing to show her feelings for him.

"He loves me with all his heart" Misty said to herself, "Why is it so hard for me to say 'I love you'?"

Misty began to gently sing to herself, silently as not to arouse her sleepy Pokémon. In her heart, it was the only way she could relieve the stress she had inside.

_Out here in the setting of the sun,  
Beneath the sky, and sun  
We both know we've got something on our minds  
We won't admit, but it's true_

_You look at me, I look away._

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,  
But I don't know how to start  
I wanna tell you, but now  
I'm afraid that you might break my heart  
Oh, why should anything so easy ever  
Be so hard to do?  
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,  
And to say that, I love you._

_I practice all the things that I could say,  
Line by line, every word  
I tell myself today could be the day,  
But every time, I lose my nerve_

_I look at you, you look away_

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,  
But I don't know how to start.  
I wanna tell you, but now  
I'm afraid that you might break my heart  
Oh, why should anything so easy ever  
Be so hard to do?  
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,  
And to say that, I love you._

_Why? Why do you turn away?  
It must be, you're afraid like me  
I try, but I can't pretend that I  
Don't feel for you the way I do  
Can't you see?_

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,  
But I don't know how to start  
I wanna tell you, but now  
I'm afraid that you might break my heart  
Oh, why should anything so easy ever  
Be so hard to do?  
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,  
And to say that, I love you._

_I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,  
But I don't know how to start  
I wanna tell you, but now  
I'm afraid that you might break my heart  
Oh, why should anything so easy ever  
Be so hard to do?  
I wanna tell you what I'm feeling,  
And to say that, I love you._

Misty's song unexpectedly ended with a deafening clap of thunder. She knew what would come next and hoped that none of her friends would be caught in the middle of it.


	3. The Cave on the coast

Dawn leapt out of the water throwing her arms out in joy. Water spread outward in all directions in small particles that glistened in the setting sun. Shining droplets slid down her smooth, swimsuit clad body, and reunited with the water. The young girl opened her yellow eyes and looked into the sunset, marvelling at its beauty. Although she could not speak, her mouth made the movements of speaking. Had she a voice, she would say;

_Thank you father, for creating a perfect oasis for me._

As she, Red and Silver were travelling along the Ransei Region's northern coast, they came across a small lagoon backed against the rock wall of the coast. The king of the Trainers decided that they should rest and spend the night at the lagoon.

The young Priestess was overcome by happiness, she was so close to getting her voice back, ending this nightmare and having her old life back. With their greatest enemy, and the enemy of all life no more, this quest would come to an easy end.

Red sat on the sand at the edge the water, watching Dawn and her Pokémon enjoy themselves in the water. It was pleasant for Red to see Dawn enjoying herself for the first time in a very long time. He wished he could go into the water and join her, but he had to be on alert should Team Phantom ambush them.

Silver stood behind Red, firm and strong like a soldier. His arms were crossed over his chest, but in an instant he could grab a PokéBall off his belt and send his most ruthless Pokémon into battle. He looked around impatiently, but he finally had enough. He held his tongue too long and now he had to speak his mind.

"We are wasting our time." Silver commented, "We should make our last push to Dragonair now and get the Celestial Stone."

"Dawn has been through a lot Silver." Red argued, "She needs time to rest herself."

Before Red could talk any further, he was hit in the face by a blast of water sending him flying back. The king of the Trainers looked up, expecting to see Piplup preparing to use Hydro Pump, what he saw instead was surprising and amazing.

Dawn elevated one of her hands, which was glowing yellow. As she did, a glowing serpent made of water slowly arose out of the lagoon. She began moving her hands and arms in a slow rhythmic movement, the water serpent began moving with it. With one strong whip of her hand towards Red, the water serpent lunged forward at the Pokémon Master.

This time, Red was prepared. Once the water serpent was close enough Red projected a blue barrier made of aura. The water serpent collided with the barrier and dispersed. The Pokédex Keeper was aware of his aura powers, but had no idea they were this strong. It was Dawn's power, however, that astounded him.

She had learned this gift while she was training with Uraiya in the past. Its purpose was to protect themselves, or the innocent. But in the wrong hands, it could be an incredibly dangerous weapon. Red was not afraid, he believed that none were more deserving of its power than Dawn.

"Telekinesis, impressive." Red complimented.

Within seconds, the skies had become black with clouds. Light came a few seconds later in a blinding flash, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Rain began falling from the sky in great volume and at an alarming rate.

Dawn called her Pokémon back and frantically began running back to Red's side. The King of the Trainers grabbed a towel from off the beach and held it over his oldest friend's head. But the towel absorbed the rainwater like a sponge and it soon became useless. Red then took off his red shirt and put it over Dawn instead. With Silver, they began running down the coast.

"We need to find cover!" Silver warned the others.

"There isn't a forest or town for miles!" Red shouted over the deafening water hitting the ground.

The intense amount of rain created a curtain of water around the Trainers and their Pokémon, impairing any vision. Red could not use his aura 'Third Eye' to guide them. He was preoccupied with keeping Dawn dry as best he could. But where vision failed, scent would become vital.

Pika smelled something, something coming from the wall of stone along the coast. The electric Pokémon ran ahead of the others, following his nose until he found the source. There was a massive cave in the wall, carved by millions of years of erosion and left alone since the Platinum Wars. Pika began sending upward electric bolts to get the others to head towards him.

"I think Pika found something!" Red shouted to the others. Following the Thunder signals, the others came to the mouth of the cave. water descended from the top of its mouth like a waterfall, creating an almost wall.

With one powerful leap, Silver jumped through. Red, Dawn, Pika and Piplup followed him. The cave was cold and dark, easy for an ambush. Red put his hand on his chest, closed his eyes and called upon his aura 'Third Eye'. Through the dark and deep cave, Red could only find four auras other than himself, the aura of the four who just entered the cave.

"We're safe." Red assured.

"Well it's dark, but at least it's dry." Silver commented.

"I'll start a fire and get some dinner ready." Red decided.

As Red sat in the centre of the cave, getting Chars ready to start a fire, Dawn sat far in the back giving him some distance. Dawn sent out her Typhlosion and nuzzled up next to it while holding onto Piplup. While Red had finally gotten the fire going, he was joined by his rival turned ally.

"Don't you think you've done enough?" Silver asked.

"I haven't even started cooking yet." Red answered humorously.

"I mean with Dawn." Silver corrected. Red turned his gaze from the fire to face the son of his greatest enemy.

"She is my friend, I will do anything to help her see this through to the end." The king of the Trainers responded.

"As far as you can tell, there is only one way this ends for you" Silver pointed out, "And if there is even a chance that it will give Dawn safety, then you will let it happen."

"You weren't there Silver." Red informed, "You weren't there when she died in my arms. She was scared, she was cold as ice, I can't imagine the pain she was feeling. I swore to her that I would never let her go through that again, that I would give her back her voice. No matter how far I'd have to go or how long it would take."

Silver stopped and let Red's words sink in. Although he hated Red with every bone in his body, he did not want his journey to end by anyone's hand but his. He hoped that his enemy would live long enough to be destroyed in battle against him.

"Let me continue on for you." Silver offered, "You should go home."

"I'm a Sacred Knight." Red said more firmly, "I must devote my life to her protection."

"Red." Silver said more firm than Red, "You owe no one anything, you have sacrificed everything for everyone."

Red looked Silver in the eyes, he had only one thing he could say to his opponent. One thing that would show his resolve.

"No, not everything. Not yet."


	4. Cave of Trials

The middle of the night, the thunder and rain were still as strong as they were when the sun began to set. The cave had fallen into dead silence. After completing their dinner, Red, Silver, Dawn and their Pokémon went to sleep. Warmed by their Fire type Pokémon, they entered a very deep sleep. But in a deep sleep, they were vulnerable.

The ground outside the cave shook in a pattern like footsteps. Silhouetted against the lightning, stood the titanic and deadly Pokémon. One who was thought to be dead by Brock, Lyra and May. The creature had remained hidden during the god war, lost to exile. His name, Kyurem.

Though Kyurem had survived the battle at the Palace of Light, he had sustained severe injuries that had yet to heal. The heavy rain beating against his wounds weighed down on him, he needed to find a place to pass the night. To his luck, a cave sat before him, along the stretch of coast he stormed down. His refuge from the violent winds and rain had come at last. With mighty footsteps like earthquakes, Kyurem advanced towards the cave.

Inside the cave, Silver slept closest to the mouth. He volunteered to stand guard by the mouth, but his body was exhausted from the arduous trek he and his allies took to find the cave. His slumber was interrupted as the cold stone ground beneath him began to shake. At first it was little more than small vibrations, but with every shake, it became more and more violent.

Silver looked out into the mouth of the cave where he saw the dragon slowly stalking towards them. Judging by how it was moving Giovanni's son could tell that it did not know they were there, but would soon. A battle would soon ensue, and he had to be ready for it. As Silver reached for his Ursaring's PokéBall, he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Kyurem" Red identified, "This is an enemy we can't face in a confined area."

Silver realized that his old nemesis was correct. In such a confined area, against such a powerful dragon, a battle would result in disastrous consequences.

"Then what do you propose?" Silver asked in an aggressive whisper.

"Gather your Pokémon and head to the back of the cave." Red answered.

Silver did as Red ordered and called his Pokémon back. Red tiptoed over to a sleeping Dawn and nudged her awake. Still sleepy, Dawn looked around the cave, when her eyes met the entrance to their cave, she saw Kyurem. Terrified to see her old nemesis still alive, she jumped back fully awake and accidently stepped on Piplup's fin.

Piplup screeched in pain as it grabbed its hurting fin. Dawn quickly threw her hands on the penguin Pokémon's beak silencing it. Kyurem's slow trudge stopped and he became alert suddenly to the cave in front of him. His gaze left the wet ground and pierced through the cave, searching for the source of the outcry.

All humans and Pokémon inside the cave fell silent and ceased moving. Terror filled eyes looked towards the mouth, pleading with the heavens that the dragon would not spring forward. Dawn could feel her heart pounding against her chest, her feet trembled and sweat cascaded down her forehead. Silence was their only hope of survival, their lives on the edge of a knife blade.

Then, as if fate proved most kind to them, Kyurem resumed his slow plod towards the mouth of the cave. However, his walk seemed to be all the more cautious. Unable to see anything in the cave, the dragon knew he could be walking towards a trap and decided it would be best to take precautions before settling for the night. With the peril temporarily over, the Trainers and their Pokémon resumed their silent departure to the cave's end.

Silver could not keep his eyes away from Kyurem. He could feel the power the dragon had within. Outmatched only by the ferocity and savagery the beast had. With all this maliciousness and hatred, Silver also sensed something else in Kyurem, suffering. This was not a creature that longed for causing fear and chaos like Giratina or Darkrai, this was a creature that longed for a purpose, to find a place where it belonged. In his desperation he turned to Giratina who turned him into a killing machine from which he held remorse for. As far as Silver could see, he and Kyurem were not that different.

Silver was so deep in thought that the world around him seemed to fade, and he lost track of his footing. On the cold wet rock, Silver's feet violently slipped and he unintentionally kicked a large rock behind him, towards the mouth of the cave. The stone tumbled and rolled onward, every movement it made echoed through the cave in deafening clattering sounds. Without thinking Pika jumped off Red's shoulder and began racing towards it.

"Pika! Come back!" Red whispered harshly to his Pokémon.

Pika ignored his Trainer and continued after the noisemaking rock before it finally stopped, at the mouth of the cave. And at the feet of the very dragon they were hiding from.

Kyurem's massive snout pushed through the cascading water barrier and smelled the rock. There was a scent on it that he was far too familiar with, a Pokémon he battled with not long ago. The dragon moved his entire head through the water and began looking around the cave. Pika crouched down and remained silent as to not alert their nemesis of his presence. The humans at the far end of the cave did the same as the little Pokémon.

Fortunately for the humans and their Pokémon, Kyurem's age old eyes were weak in the dark confides of the cave. The creature was relying on its sense of smell to find the cause of the shifting rock. His head moved left to right in a smooth movement like a crane. The sound of his exhale like a rumbling growl that shook the humans to their core. They were clueless of how the dragon would react to them, they freed him from the hold of Giratina, but they also made him look like a fool.

"Where are you?" Kyurem growled.

Finally Pika believed it to be safe to start backing away. As he did, he kept his gaze fixed on the beast towering above him. Unfortunately the rains did not let down and the wet rock beneath Pika's feet provided him no traction. Pika slipped and fell forward onto his chest, letting loose a shriek of surprise and pain as he fell.

The sound pierced Kyurem's ears and he turned his massive head in the direction of its origin. Now he knew there was something in the cave, now he was ready to attack. As his gaze continued to stay upon Pika's location, a blast of lightning illuminated the entire cave for several seconds, enough for Kyurem to see him.

The small Pikachu with a scar under its left eye was obviously familiar to the ice beast. It belonged to the Sacred Knight whom protected the daughter of Arceus. That means she is hear, in the cave! Kyurem pulled his eyes away from the Pokémon and instinctively looked towards the back of the cave. There she was, cowering in fear behind the Sacred Knight and some red haired human with a cold look in his eyes.

These were the humans who humiliated him a year ago in the Palace of Light. It need not matter that she was the child of God or the slayer of Giratina, she made a mockery of him before the armies of darkness and before so many Legendary Pokémon. She may have survived executing his former master, but now she was going to die. Kyurem let loose a deafening roar before charging towards the Priestess.

"Run!" Red shouted, "Everyone run!"

The Trainers began to run for the back of the cave. Red grabbed Dawn's hand and began to run as well, ensuring that she would keep up with him. Kyurem closed in on them, his every footstep shook the cave like the apocalypse. He snorted and growled as he chased after them, it became louder and louder, Kyurem was getting closer.

Dawn's mix of curiosity and terror got the better of her and she looked behind her. Ignoring her environment, she stumbled over a rise in the rocks and fell forward. Now Kyurem had his chance, he stopped and towered over Dawn.

"Dawn!" Red shouted as he turned around to rescue her. Silver grabbed onto Red's shirt around his shoulders and pulled him back.

"Red don't, he'll kill you!" Silver warned.

"She needs my help!" Red shouted back in his rage.

"She can protect herself!" Silver answered in just as loud a voice as Red.

Under normal circumstances, Dawn would use her powers to defend herself, but she was bound by the code of the Guardian Priestess' she could not use her powers to harm a Pokémon. To honor her dead sisters, she would stay true to the code set by Arceus.

Saliva dripped from Kyurem's maw as he stood over the helpless girl. Finally he would do what Giratina could never do, finally he would end the line of the daughters of God, finally he would reclaim his honor.

"You took my honor" Kyurem growled, "Now it will be reclaimed!"

As Kyurem thrust his open jaws towards the helpless girl, Dawn followed her instincts and looked away while holding her arms in front of her head. She expected to feel unparalleled agony as his serrated teeth sunk and sliced into her cold trembling flesh. A second passed, she felt nothing. Another second passed and still no pain, something was wrong. Dawn opened one eye and looked towards Kyurem. She saw something small and blue in his jaws as he began swinging his head around. She opened both eyes and looked straight towards Kyurem to see what it was. What she saw was horrifying.

The small blue thing in Kyurem's jaws was Piplup. At first glance, Dawn assumed that Kyurem was ripping the little Water type apart like a leopard seal to a baby penguin. Upon closer inspection, the Guardian Priestess could see that the Penguin Pokémon was actually holding the Boundary Pokémon's mouth open while firing Bubble Beam and Hydro Pump attacks down his throat. Dawn marvelled at her Pokémon's courage but was scared by its recklessness and wished it would get away from the dangerous Pokémon.

Kyurem successfully forced Piplup out of his mouth by firing a Dragon Breath attack. The orange and red beam of violent energy sent Piplup flying out of the dragon's paw and right into the rock wall. Kyurem hissed, showing his clear rage as he turned and stalked towards Piplup who lay on the ground, looking weakly towards Dawn, pleading that she would run.

"Since you wish to protect your princess so" Kyurem hissed, "You may die first."

Kyurem's right two fingered arm shadow energy emerged from it and took on the form of an even larger, three fingered claw. The dragon raised his hand and readied to strike Piplup down, only for something moving at incredible speed to strike his Shadow Claw hand and force him back. Kyurem turned around in time to see Pika charging at him, his head held low and he struck the dragon in the chest. Red jumped down and began helping Dawn back to her feet while commanding Pika in battle.

"Good job Pika, now use Iron Tail!" Red commanded

While still in the air, Pika called on its Iron Tail attack and began striking Kyurem repeatedly over the head. The sound of his tail against the armored head of the dragon echoed through the cave like swords of knights in single combat.

Silver admired Pika's nobility and Red's courage but knew that it was all for nothing. As soon as Kyurem saw an opening he would seize it and strike down his opponents to kill Dawn. Unless the dragon was faced with something he wasn't expecting.

Red grabbed Chars' PokéBall off his belt and prepared to send him out and Mega Evolve him for greater Type advantage against the ice dragon. His plan stopped when he saw Silver's Black Charizard fly past him, grab Pika and gently toss him towards Red. Red grabbed Pika and looked behind himself to see Silver running towards them with his Weavile and Kingdra.

"My Pokémon and I will hold this dragon at bay." Silver explained while standing next to Red, but not once glancing at him, "You get Dawn to safety, whatever you may here do not once look back."

Once Dawn had finished healing Piplup, she took the small Pokémon in her arms and ran to Red's side. Red gave Silver a simple nod before turning and running back towards the cave. As they ran they heard the sound of roars, shrieks and the crumbling of rocks behind them. Dawn could not help but look behind her and admire Silver for rising above the selfish monster she once knew him as to save her.

The Black Charizard bellowed at Kyurem in hopes of deterring the already wounded dragon from attacking. Kyurem simply roared back only twice as loudly. The dragon charged forward with two Shadow Claws at the ready.

"Weavile use Faint Attack!" Silver commanded.

Weavile jumped forward and struck Kyurem in the chest forcing the Pokémon back against a support column for the cave. Kyurem recovered quickly and roared back at Weavile for such a sneak attack.

Silver then noticed something that intrigued him. As soon as Kyurem struck the rock column the ceiling of the cave shook violently. The son of Giovanni realized that if the column was destroyed then the dragon could finally be bested. It was dangerous and suicidal, but even the strength of all his Pokémon could not best the Boundary Pokémon.

"Charizard use Hyper Beam on Kyurem! Kingdra, Hydro Pump!" Silver ordered his Pokémon.

Without a second's thought the Black Charizard unleashed a devastating beam of black and purple energy from its mouth towards Kyurem while Kingdra released a powerful, continuous stream of water from its mouth. Both attacks struck the ice dragon and sent him flying towards the rock column.

Upon hitting the column, it snapped like it were made of wood. The cave ceiling creaked loudly, alerting all inside of it. Large stones began to fall from the ceiling. At first only a few fell, then more and more and an alarming rate. The stones soon began to turn into large boulders that crashed against the ground creating small tremors as they did. The cave in had begun.

Silver called his Pokémon back and began to run towards his awaiting comrades who were safely far from the cave in. Dust rose from the ground like a toxic fog, visibility was nonexistent. The sound of the rock crashing to the ground prevented Silver from finding hearing the calls from Red.

"Silver! This way!" Red shouted, only for his voice to be muffled by the sound of the descending debris.

Red used his aura vision to find Silver, he wished that his rival had the same gifts as him at that moment. Through his aura vision Red could see Silver was coming in the right directions and by luck was dodging the falling debris. That luck had run out as five massive boulders fell from the ceiling and Silver was running directly towards where they were going to land.

"Silver! Stop!" Red pleaded, but once again his voice fell on deaf ears. A large amount of dust kicked up that impaired even Red's aura vision, just as the rocks descended onto Silver's location.

"Silver! No!" Red shouted in horror.

So caught up Red was in the events that unfolded before him that he failed to notice Dawn holding her hands towards the area he was looking in. As the dust settled it revealed that Silver was perfectly intact, flinching in belief that death was above him, and the five boulders, ten feet above him. Silver looked up and to his amazement realized what dawn was doing.

"You saved my life" Silver said in disbelief. The unwilling heir to Team Rocket could see that dawn could not hold the boulders for much longer and ran out from below them in time for Dawn to lose her grip and the boulders crashed to the ground.

"You have great power lady Berlitz." Silver complimented as he put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Don't scare me like that" Red warned, "You made me think that I actually like you."

Their moment of joy was cut short by an ear-splitting roar coming from the other side of the wall of rocks left behind by the cave in. Kyurem ripped himself free, now more battered and beaten than he was before. He was on the opposite side of the wall as his enemies and he knew it. He also knew that he no longer had the strength to fight them, if he tried, he would die. With a snort from his nostrils, Kyurem turned and stormed towards the open mouth of the cave.

Before returning to the still thundering and raining outside world, Kyurem turned and faced the cave. This would be forever known to himself as the place that he was defeated by three simple children. Now he knew that he had fallen to a new low. In his rage he let loose an ear-splitting roar that could be heard through half of the Ransei Region.


	5. Hayden

Director Hayden stood in his office awaiting his best agent to return with information revolving around Team Phantom. He took this time to think back on his own past with Team Genetic.

The boy proved to be a genius at a very young age, proving scientific theories that most deemed impossible and creating deadly weapons for catching Pokémon. This attracted the attention of the government who hoped to use his intellect in their classified unit called Team Genetic. At that time, Team Genetic was merely a computer and intelligence unit, not unlike NORAD.

While gathering information, Hayden saw many things in the Pokémon World. Including the wretchedness brought upon by Team Rocket, Team Aqua, Team Magma and Team Galactic. With the government not willing to do anything, the young genius decided that he had to take matters into his own hands.

One night, Neera approached him offering him the chance to change the world for the better, bring proper order, peace through tyranny. All she asked for in return was diplomatic immunity and the resources needed for her master plan. Hayden was most intrigued by her proposition and accepted if she would make him the leader of Team Genetic.

Several weeks later, Neera presented Hayden with what he needed. Evidence of the prior Team Genetic leader being involved in Team Rocket's experiments with cloning Mew DNA. Once this evidence was brought forward to the government, Team Genetic's leader was stripped of his rank and arrested, and Hayden was appointed the new leader.

Hayden's reminiscing stopped when Johnson stepped into his office. In his hand was a his brief case that he was opening at that moment.

"Sir, out Intel points to Team Phantom has begun excavating in the Turnback Cave." Johnson explained, "What are your orders?"

"Send a crew of miners to assist" Hayden ordered, "Whatever is inside that cave I know will prove to be helpful for Neera."

"Has she told you what her plan is yet?" Johnson asked, concerned over their 'allies'.

"Not yet" Hayden explained, "That's what makes her a better ally, she knows not to trust others."

"This dig could attract the attention of the Guardian Priestess." Johnson warned.

"Is Mitsumi monitoring the dig?" Hayden asked.

"No sir." Johnson responded.

"Then send the form changer to protect the site." Hayden ordered, "If the priestess is there, then one of the Sacred Knights will be there."

"What about the other Knight?" Johnson asked.

"I will deal with him myself" Hayden decided. He stood up from his desk and walked past his top agent. Before departing the room, the young leader of Team Genetic had one final command.

"You are in command until I return."


End file.
